Gobi Manchurian is a popular Indo-Chinese dish with deep-fried cauliflower florets tossed in a spicy and tangy sauce. In this recipe, we will be making a delicious and crispy Gobi Manchurian that can be enjoyed as an appetizer or a main dish. The batter used in this recipe is made with a combination of corn starch and all-purpose flour, along with ginger-garlic paste, and red chili powder.

Top shot of the gobi manchurian with garnish of sesame seeds - 1

The dish is believed to have originated in India, where it has become a staple in Indian-Chinese cuisine. It first made in the Indian state of West Bengal and it was a hit in local Chinese restaurants. This dish is apparently said to have been created by a Chinese chef working in India, who modified the traditional Chinese dish, Manchurian, to suit the Indian palate. Therefore, the dish quickly became popular in other parts of India and eventually became a staple in Indian-Chinese cuisine.

Although it is traditionally made with cauliflower florets which are first deep fried, it is then sautéed with a variety of vegetables, and a spicy sauce is added to make it saucy and flavorful. It can be enjoyed as a starter or as a side dish with Fried Rice, Noodles, or even with Indian Bread.

What is Gobi Manchurian?

The popularity of Manchurian dishes, whether it be Indo-Chinese or street food, is undeniable. It’s a highly requested dish among food lovers and never fails to impress with its unique blend of flavors and texture. The dish is made with crispy, deep-fried vegetable fritters that are then stir-fried with a flavorful Manchurian sauce.

Within the Manchurian spectrum, the dry gobi Manchurian recipe stands out as the most popular and sought-after dish. The crispy exterior of the fried cauliflower fritters pairs perfectly with the spicy and tangy sauce, creating a harmonious blend of textures and flavors. The dish is a perfect balance of heat and tang, making it an irresistible option for anyone looking for a delicious and satisfying meal. Whether it’s served as an appetizer or main dish, the dry gobi Manchurian is sure to impress and leave a lasting impression on the taste buds.

How to make Gobi Manchurian?

Gobi Manchurian holds a special place in my heart for various reasons. It is a dish that reminds me of a special occasion or event, and a favourite dish that brings comfort and happiness. Alternatively, it’s a dish that I enjoy cooking and sharing with friends and family. Moreover, it’s a unique blend of flavours that I find irresistible. Whatever the reason, this dish is a special dish to me and holds a special place in my taste buds. I hope this dish helps you create new memories and explore new flavours in this journey of cooking consciously. Let’s dive in.

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Gobi Manchurian: Step-by-step recipe

Clean and cut the cauliflower into medium-sized florets. If you see any insects or worms, then add the florets into the hot water with some salt for a few minutes to blanch the cauliflowers. Discard the water and drain completely.

Dropping cauliflower florets into boiling water - 3

In a large bowl, add the cauliflower florets. Add cornstarch, all-purpose flour, and ginger-garlic paste. Add red chilli powder, salt, and pepper.

Adding ginger garlic paste to the boiled cauliflower - 4

Toss to coat and heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, gently slide the florets one by one and deep fry them till crispy and golden in colour on medium heat.

Gobi Manchurian Recipe - 5

Note: Also, fry the florets in batches, do not overload, just add 7-8 florets at a time.

Keep the florets aside. In a separate pan, heat oil, add in garlic, and ginger, and saute for 20 secs. Furthermore, add onion and bell pepper. Stir fry for 30-90 secs on high heat.

Gobi Manchurian Recipe - 6

Mix soy sauce, red sauce and sriracha sauce in a bowl and add it to the pan.

Gobi Manchurian Recipe - 7

Finally, add the cornstarch slurry, let the sauce thicken and then add the fried cauliflower florets, and salt (if required), and give a quick toss till the sauce coats the pieces.

Gobi Manchurian Recipe - 8

Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

Gobi Manchurian Recipe - 9

Check out my other recipes here:

  • Fried vegetable momos
  • Chilli Garlic Noodles
  • Vegan Kathi rolls
Top shot of the gobi manchurian with garnish of sesame seeds - 10

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients1x2x3x

Crispy Cauliflower Florets

  • 2 – 2.5 cups cauliflower cut in florets about 20 -22 florets
  • ⅓ cup All purpose flour maida
  • ¼ cup corn starch
  • 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste minced ginger and garlic
  • 2 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • water as required

Manchurian Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon ginger minced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic minced
  • ¼ cup bell pepper green bell pepper
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Red chilli sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
  • 2 tablespoon coriander/cilantro leaves finely chopped
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoon Cornstarch (to make a slurry)
  • Sesame seeds to garnish

Instructions

  • Clean and cut the cauliflower into medium-sized florets. Discard the water and drain completely.
  • In a large pot boil enough water (leaving enough space to submerge cauliflower florets) and add salt to it. Blanch the cauliflowers in the salted boiling water for about 8 minutes.
  • Drain and dry the cauliflower florets
  • In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, all-purpose flour, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, and salt, and pepper. Add water little by little to form a not-too-thick, not-too-thin lump-free batter.
  • Add Cauliflower florets into this batter and toss to coat.
  • Heat up enough oil in a frying pan. Once the oil is hot, gently slide the florets one by one and deep fry them till crispy and golden in colour on medium heat.

To make Gobhi Manchurian

  • Heat oil in a pan till hot, add in garlic, and ginger, and saute for 20 secs. Then, add the green bell pepper. Stir fry on high heat.
  • IN a separate bowl, combine soy sauce, red chilli paste and sriracha
  • Add cornstarch slurry to this and on low heat and cook until you get a thick sauce of desired consistency.
  • Finally, add the fried cauliflower florets, and salt (if required), and give a quick toss till the sauce coats the pieces and serve immediately.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and scallions/spring onions and optionally sesame seeds.
  • Serve this crispy gobi Manchurian over rice or fried rice.

Nutrition

Here is my recipe for Semolina Gnocchi and vegetable Stir-fry. The dough is made with semolina instead of potatoes, and the texture is slightly different. When combined with onions tomatoes, vegetables, and seasonings, this Semolina Gnocchi Balls recipe will become a flavour town. This is a fairly simple dish to prepare and tastes simply delicious. Semolina gnocchi is a variation of the traditional Italian potato gnocchi.

Semolina Gnocchi/balls served in a bowl. - 11

Semolina: Dishes from around the world

This versatile coarse flour, Semolina, is extensively used in many countries for sweet and savoury dishes. It is a great ingredient to experiment with and you can come up with multiple variations to mainstream dishes.

Semolina is used in various dishes in different cuisines around the world. Couscous, a staple food in North African cuisine, is made from semolina flour steamed and then rolled into tiny granules.

In India, semolina makes a popular breakfast dish called Upma . It’s made by cooking semolina in water or broth with spices and vegetables, often served with chutneys or yoghurt.

In South Indian cuisine, semolina is used to make a type of steamed cake called idli. It’s made by mixing semolina, lentils, and yoghurt, and then steaming the batter.

Knafeh, a popular Middle Eastern sweet dish, is made by layering phyllo dough and sweet cheese filling, often flavoured with rose water or orange blossom water, topped with crushed pistachios and a sweet syrup.

Semolina Gnocchi/balls stir fry with semolina-based gnocchi/balls and various vegetables and spices, served in a bowl. - 12

Semolina Balls: Substitutes and Variations

  • You can substitute Semolina with polenta for a gluten-free version and add xanthan gum to the dough later.
  • Soy yoghurt can be substituted with any kind of plant-based yoghurt.
  • For the veggie stir fry, you can add any vegetables of your choice – bell peppers, green peas, potatoes etc.

How to prepare Semolina balls?

To make semolina balls, first, pour water into a pan and bring it to a boil, add salt to the water.

Pouring water into a pan on a stovetop - 13

Then add the semolina and mix it in. Turn off the heat and add yoghurt to the mixture and mix it well with a spatula, then set it aside to cool.

Pouring semolina into the hot water - 14

Once cooled, knead it into a pliable dough, adding a few tablespoons of flour to help it come together.

Wet your hands and break off a lime-sized ball and form it into a desired shape, such as a curly gnocchi-style look.

Me using my fingers to press and test the consistency of semolina dough in a bowl - 15

Then heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium to medium-low heat and pan-fry the semolina balls until they turn golden brown on multiple sides. Remove them from the pan once they are golden brown.

Me showing the Semolina balls to the camera - 16

How to stir fry the Semolina Balls?

  1. To make semolina balls and veggie stir fry, first heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and add cumin and mustard seeds, let the mustard seeds pop and cumin seeds change colour. Add curry leaves and let them splatter.
adding cumin seeds (Jeera) to a pan containing hot oil - 17
  1. Then add chopped onions and fry until golden brown. Once the onions turn golden brown, add green chillies.
finely chopping onions to add them to the pan - 18
  1. Add turmeric powder, salt and red chilli powder.
Adding turmeric powder to the cooked chillies and onions - 19
  1. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes turn soft. Add the grated carrots and cook for another 3 minutes
Adding tomatoes to the pan of sauted onions, curry leaves and green chillies - 20
  1. Then add the semolina balls and mix gently with a spatula. Let the carrot-tomato-onion masala mix coat the semolina balls. Turn off the heat and add chopped coriander and serve hot.
Adding gnocchi semolina balls to the cooked veggie mix - 21

Semolina Gnocchi Balls are ready to be devoured. Do give this recipe a try. This dish is a great way to enjoy semolina gnocchi as a main meal, it’s also a perfect way to use up leftover gnocchi, and also a great way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet. You can also add any vegetables that you like, this recipe is quite flexible and adaptable.

Note : You can store them in the fridge for up to 1 week in an air-tight container.

Follow @ beextravegant for more fun, vegan recipes.

Check out my other recipes:

  • Lemon Rice Recipe
  • Ven Pongal
  • Vegetable Upma
Fully cooked semolina balls served in a bowl with a coriander garnish - 22

Upma Style Semolina Gnocchi – Easy, Healthy

Ingredients1x2x3x

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup semolina/rava sub with polenta for gluten-free version and add xanthan gum to the dough later
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 cup plant-based yoghurt
  • Few tablespoons of flour if required
  • 3 tbsps Oil
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 green chillies chopped
  • 5-6 Curry leaves
  • 1 tomato diced
  • 1 carrot grated
  • Turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • Chopped coriander

Instructions

  • Pour water into a pan and bring it to a boil
  • Add a tbsp oil to the water and then the semolina to this water. Mix it in and then add yoghurt to this.
  • Turn off the heat, mix well with a spatula, and set aside to cool.
  • Once cooled down, knead this into a pliable dough, add a few tbsp of flour to help it come together.
  • Wet your hands and break off a lime sized ball. Form it into a desired shape, I like a curly gnocchi-style look.
  • Take a pan and heat 1-2 tbsp oil to the pan and pan-fry these semolina balls on medium to medium-low heat until it turns a brown on multiple sides.
  • Once they all have golden brown sides, remove them from the pan.
  • Add 1 tbsp oil to the same pan and add cumin and mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds pop and cumin seeds change colour.
  • Add curry leaves to this and let it become crispy for a couple seconds and add chopped onions.
  • Once the onions turn golden brown, add turmeric powder, salt and the chopped tomatoes.
  • Cook until the tomatoes turn soft, add the grated carrots, and cook for another 3 minutes.
  • Finally add back the semolina balls and mix gently with a spatula. Let the carrot tomato mix coat the semolina balls.
  • Turn off the heat and add chopped coriander to this.
  • Serve hot!

Nutrition

This high-protein, veggie-packed breakfast is the perfect spin on a breakfast muffin with an Indian twist. It is healthy and super easy to meal-prep!

Upma Breakfast Muffins served on a plate, arranged in a. pyramid - 23

Make these and prep ahead of time so you can just pull them out when you are hungry, re-heat them, and enjoy them with some Indian pickle, and some yoghurt.

Ingredients & Substitutions to make Upma Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients required to make Upma Breakfast Muffins - 24
  • For the muffin base: coarse and fine semolina (sub with polenta), plant-based yoghurt
  • Veggies: Red onion (sub with any other type of onion or shallots), carrots, peas, green chilies, ginger (feel free to add other veggies but keep the volume constant as it may increase the water content in the muffins)
  • Protein: Smoked/regular firm tofu pressed (to remove excess water) and grated
  • Tempering: extra virgin coconut oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, cashews, peanuts, curry leaves (feel free to remove ingredients that you don’t have at hand. This is a rough guide to a really good tempering. The very basic one would be just mustard seeds and curry leaves).

Follow @ beextravegant for other delicious, easy and vegan recipes.

Check out my other recipes:

  • Healthy Vermicelli Upma recipe: High protein
  • Semolina Gnocchi/balls Stir Fry
  • Ven Pongal
  • Vegetable Upma
Upma Breakfast Muffins arranged on a plate, top view - 25

High Protein Upma Muffins

Ingredients1x2x3x

For the upma muffin base:

  • 1 cup coarse and fine semolina 160 g
  • ½ cup plant-based yoghurt I use soy yoghurt, about 122 g
  • 1 cup water 240 ml
  • ½ red onion finely diced
  • 1 carrot medium-sized grated
  • 1 green chilli pepper minced
  • ½ inch ginger minced
  • ½ block or 250 g Smoked/regular firm tofu pressed (to remove excess water) and grated
  • ½ tsp baking soda or 1 tsp baking powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Tempering:

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp urad dal
  • 1 tbsp cashews
  • 1 tbsp peanuts
  • 6-7 curry leaves

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/360F.
  • Grease a muffin tin with oil and set aside.
  • Mix together all the ingredients (semolina, yoghurt, water, salt, diced onion, grated carrots, grated tofu, minced ginger, minced red chilli pepper, baking powder) except lemon juice in a large mixing bowl.
  • In a mini tempering pan, add the coconut oil on medium heat and add the mustard seeds.
  • Once they start popping, add urad dal. When the urad dal turns very slightly golden, add the peanuts and then the cashews.
  • When they become light brown, add the curry leaves and let them become crispy.
  • Immediately add this to the Upma mixture and stir it in.
  • Finally, add the lemon juice and stir it in.
  • Pour or spoon the batter into the muffin tin, filling each cup to the top.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the muffins are done and look slightly golden brown on the sides.
  • Take it out and let it cool down completely before removing them with a spatula.
  • Serve with some mango pickle and a cup of chai!

Notes

Top shot of the gobi manchurian with garnish of sesame seeds - 26

Gobi Manchurian

Ingredients1x2x3x

Crispy Cauliflower Florets

  • 2 - 2.5 cups cauliflower cut in florets about 20 -22 florets
  • ⅓ cup All purpose flour maida
  • ¼ cup corn starch
  • 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste minced ginger and garlic
  • 2 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • water as required

Manchurian Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 teaspoon ginger minced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic minced
  • ¼ cup bell pepper green bell pepper
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Red chilli sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
  • 2 tablespoon coriander/cilantro leaves finely chopped
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoon Cornstarch (to make a slurry)
  • Sesame seeds to garnish

Instructions

  • Clean and cut the cauliflower into medium-sized florets. Discard the water and drain completely.
  • In a large pot boil enough water (leaving enough space to submerge cauliflower florets) and add salt to it. Blanch the cauliflowers in the salted boiling water for about 8 minutes.
  • Drain and dry the cauliflower florets
  • In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, all-purpose flour, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, and salt, and pepper. Add water little by little to form a not-too-thick, not-too-thin lump-free batter.
  • Add Cauliflower florets into this batter and toss to coat.
  • Heat up enough oil in a frying pan. Once the oil is hot, gently slide the florets one by one and deep fry them till crispy and golden in colour on medium heat.

To make Gobhi Manchurian

  • Heat oil in a pan till hot, add in garlic, and ginger, and saute for 20 secs. Then, add the green bell pepper. Stir fry on high heat.
  • IN a separate bowl, combine soy sauce, red chilli paste and sriracha
  • Add cornstarch slurry to this and on low heat and cook until you get a thick sauce of desired consistency.
  • Finally, add the fried cauliflower florets, and salt (if required), and give a quick toss till the sauce coats the pieces and serve immediately.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and scallions/spring onions and optionally sesame seeds.
  • Serve this crispy gobi Manchurian over rice or fried rice.

Nutrition